Report: Billy Mays Used Cocaine In His Last Days
The Hillsborough County, Florida medical examiner's office reported this afternoon that toxicology results show boisterous master pitchman Billy Mays had used cocaine sometime in the days before his death. This may have contributed to his fatal heart attack.
The press release came out, of course, at the end of the East Coast business day, and on a Friday. The Mays family is fighting back, with a press release criticizing the medical examiner's office for releasing the information at all and a Twitter campaign criticizing news outlets for picking up the story.
Autopsy: Cocaine contributed to Billy Mays' death [AP]
Statement from Billy Mays' Family In Response to Medical Examiner's Report [Press Release]
(Picture: azrainman)
Post a comment
Comments:
Does anyone know how such reports aren't a violation of HIPAA? The wife and I were wondering where the lines are drawn on a scenario such as this.
@rpm773: My understanding is that both birth and death certificates are in the public record, and death certificates usually include cause of death.
BILLY MAYS HERE WITH ANOTHER EXCITING AUTOPSY! I HAD HEART DISEASE! BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! I WAS ALSO A COKE HEAD!
Awesome, I knew Billy liked to party.
Nothing wrong with a little cocaine. What's the big deal?
cocaine is a hell of a drug
@Skin Art Squared: What's the big deal you ask?! No hookers! That's what the big deal is! How can you have coke without hookers? Some people just don't get it..
@rpm773: Medical examiner's reports are public record. They are not covered by HIPAA because the patient is dead and can no longer agree to legal contracts.
Technically, the coroner is not his physician. There is no doctor-patient relationship.
Even in cases where someone's personal doctor is also the local coroner, the relationship changes when the patient dies.
"Which may have contributed to his fatal heart attack"
Ummm, you think? (I think I watch too much Dr. G, Medical Examiner to be surprised by any of this)
I feel for the family, though. I'm sure if I had a close relative with a drug problem, I wouldn't of wanted the world to know about it either.
I read the tox report. It seemed to say to me that cocaine was NOT found.
They mention doing a test for it, but then it's not specifically listed among the results they found. Shrug.
Whooaaa.... who said he had a drug "problem"?
This irritates me about people today. If anyone ever uses anything, all the sudden it's a problem. Why can't people use things once in a while without being labeled?
If it was a "problem", don't you think someone would have noticed prior to his death? I mean, he wasn't exactly a spring chicken.
@rpm773: As others said, stuff relating to your death is generally public record.
Once I had to have a guy declared judicially dead (which, in a county of that size, doesn't happen a lot; first one in 15 years or so, the court clerk told me) and I got to spend a lot of quality time chatting with the coroner's office because they had to sign off on it even though there was no body. Everything related to the death and the court proceeding was public record.
If you think about it, it makes good sense. Imagine if people were dying of, oh, the swine flu by the thousands and all those death certificates were secret and the government was saying, "Oh, no, swine flu is no big deal!" Public death certificates really, really helps with public health issues. (Also with investigation of certain crimes.) And imagine in, like, the Civil Rights Era if death certificates were secret and so the number of lynchings could be hidden from public view.
@Skin Art Squared: If something contributes to your death, I call it a problem. That said, many more people have a junk food problem than a drug problem.
@LastError: Cocaine itself wasn't found, but benzoylecgonine was. Benzoylecgonine is the main metabolite of cocaine -- in other words, it's a distinctive chemical found after the body's had time to break down cocaine.
(Forensic chemist, here. Used to be a drug analyst before switching to DNA testing.)
Although I'm wavering somewhere in the middle on the ethics of the big media outlets reporting this I don't see why consumerist has any issue in reporting on this. Slow news day?
@K-Bo: seriously?
Life contributes to your death. Every single day you live, you inch closer to death. Every single thing you ingest is harmful to you in SOME way.... including the air we breathe.
True or not - it's not my business and this type of info should be private...
@JTK: Maybe because he was a product pitchman. The interface between consumer and product, if you will.
Or, perhaps as a warning that the product Cocaine has some side effects.
@Skin Art Squared: Maybe so. Smoking, liquor, drugs, even in moderation could have bad results.
But, the chances of his heart failing were probably just a teeeeensy weeeeensy bit higher with the coke in his system than not.
And as for using hardcore drugs once in a while... it's highly unlikely considering their addictive qualities and his higher-than-average income level to enjoy them.
@Skin Art Squared: Well, when you intentionally and knowingly do something that's detrimental to your health, such as shooting yourself in the head or doing blow, then I'd also say you have a problem.
@Verucalise-WelcomeBethany: "And as for using hardcore drugs once in a while... it's highly unlikely considering their addictive qualities and his higher-than-average income level to enjoy them."
Sorry, but, did you know him personally? If not, that's pretty judgmental without first hand knowledge of his proclivities for chemical entertainment. I've used just about every drug you can think of at one point or another. Haven't used any cocaine since 1986. And believe me, I can afford it. Doesn't mean I can't control myself.
@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I don't think it makes good sense. It seems the public right to know now is used to invade everyone privacy and no one seems to care.
The public seems to think it is OK to publish pictures of woman not wearing underwear beneath her dress, and a woman dressing in her hotel room. I know they were posted on the internet on less than reputable sites, but reputable ones simply covered up the very private parts and published them that way. Still an invasion of privacy, and very undignified.
The cause of someones death should be private. The info might make you feel better(unless you take coke), but I think the privacy in this case outweighs any fake benefit to the public. As for civil rights issues and other reasons- let the family or the person's written instructions make the decision.
I think the press and nosy people really overstate the right to know for their own interests. That it is a matter of public record is often used as the underlying reason, this is of course true, but why? Other information the government has is not released. Why can't things I don't want released about me not be released?
How about witnesses in court cases, if sex is involved it seems to always be highlighted with all the salacious details, even if it is very peripheral to the case. Sometimes it is not even the accused involved. It might be a witness or the victim. It maybe should come up in court, but the TV news and newspapers love to highlight that in the story.
Kind of a pet peeve with me. I guess I just think people should be granted some dignity, but I guess I am in the minority.
This "information", since it (as the coroner says) was NOT the direct cause of Billy's heart attack (not any more than the barbecue sandwiches, eggs and fast food that he ate were), should have been given to the family to do with as they wished.
If anything about the deceased is NOT directly related to the event that caused their death then what the hell do we care for?
Nobody is perfect. What will they reveal about you (and me) when we die?
@squishyalt: "What will they reveal about you (and me) when we die?"
Nothing. Nobody cares about you & me. Mays was a celebrity.
I know Billy was scheduled to have hip surgery, and you could see him sometimes limping on the PitchMen show. I wonder if it was cocaine, or opiates.
Given the upcoming surgery, I would guess he would go off a respiratory depressant before an operation, which seems to time right with the alleged "cocaine" use. Since cocaine is an opiate, I wonder if people aren't just seizing on this, i.e. if they found amphetamines, they would shout METH!
@Verucalise-WelcomeBethany: Have to remember he was going in for surgery soon, and more than likely was on pain killers for the pain this operation would relieve. Mixing drugs would be hella risky then, especially street drugs w/unknown ingredients.
This is pretty sad that nothing can stay private anymore. Let the poor guy's family grieve, this was really uncalled for. I hope whoever released this has something similar happen when a loved one of theirs dies.
@gqcarrick: "this was really uncalled for. I hope whoever released this has something similar happen when a loved one of theirs dies."
Won't that also be uncalled for?
Still waiting for someone to OD on that dangerous schedule one drug, marijuana.
/10,000 years and still waiting...
Raking in money hand over fist and doing blow. Billy knew nothin' but to live the thug life.
*Pourin' out a 40 for the fallen*
@frank64:
Privacy per se is not compromised in records for the public good.
Records, usually means a summary of the findings, not the complete file.
In most jurisdictions the autopsy and supporting documents will never be released to the public, just the summary.
IF cocaine was relevant to the causation of heart problems (or specific medical condition/disease) then the autopsy report would be correct listing the underlying condition, disease or cause.
IF Billy had prior heart or other serious problems, then those prior problems could have been listed as causative.
Why are underlying conditions, diseases etc relevant? Because the release of such information, when compiled into large data bases, allows scientists to evaluate prevention, treatment and outcome of those diseases and develop better care for the living.
Should Billy's name be removed from the public records? Interesting question. One that you can address with your state officials.
@Skin Art Squared: Judgemental would be calling him an ass for doing it. (Which I didn't, it was his life and he can participate in anything he chooses.)
Making a general statement about elicit drug use that pertains to most of the general population regarding addiction is just stating opinion.
It seems you are the one on the defensive, pal.
so he died after Michael Jackson yet his toxicology reports are released first?
Just listen to him and wonder when WASN'T he doing coke?
@Skin Art Squared: Most side effects involve a sugar rush and crash, bad breathe, and EXTREME need to take a wicked piss. But Cocaine was removed from the shelfs when congress and moms bitched.
@squishyalt: The same info. It's just that noone cares about you enough to ever pull your tiny death cert. from the bottom of a overstuffed box in the middle of a huge dusty records archive hall.
You know, it was kind of obvious that he'd be on it :P.
@AppleAlex: There wasn't any legal complications or proceedings that might have delayed the report and autopsy, unlike Mike's "OMG FOUL PLAY" police investigation and the family fighting to not have the report publicly released (Seal the records)
I'm disappointed . I get the impression he wasn't a full fledged coke head though being the amounts in system showed use days prior . I think a full fledged addict would've had more in his system . Especially for someone in pain ; Mays from a hip injury I think it was . Even if the perfect confluence of things like existing bad heart or out of shape , prolonged even if occassional use of coke or even the airplane close call .Still disappointed though . Even if a ' recreational ' user .
I think Mays did a Tonight show appearance a week or two before his death . Wonder where he got his coke there .
HI! BILLY MAYS HERE AND I DO COCAINE!